Suffocated Hearts
by RaineCaelum
Summary: Sora, Riku, and Kairi weren't the only ones who traveled the other worlds. Another friend of theirs has had the same parallel journey but as they traveled the other worlds, she discovered the other worlds has been keeping secrets since time could tell. Now, she is determined to unravel those secrets and maybe, in the process, save a friend. DISCONTINUED 'TIL FURTHER NOTICE.
1. Prologue: The Meeting

_**Hello everyone! This is my first attempt into writing a Kingdom Hearts fanfiction so please bare with me.**_

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom hearts.  
**_

* * *

**Summary:**

Sora, Riku, and Kairi weren't the only ones who traveled the other worlds. Another friend of theirs has had the same parallel journey but as they traveled the other worlds, she discovered the other worlds has been keeping secrets since time could tell. Now, she is determined to unravel those secrets and maybe, during the process, save a friend.

* * *

They all stood there in a circle, unmoving and silent. All of their faces were covered due to the hoods of their coats. The group composed of adults and some young children and by the looks of their faces, a heated battle just occurred. Some of the adults were angry; the others had sadness in their eyes. The young children held hands to the adults, quiet and patient on what would happen.

The chains of their white coats clanked together as a hard wind came over the dark room. Their leader was finally here.

The man who stood with high authority looked at everyone. Beside him was a small boy. The man did not have a key but the little boy did.

Their gazes turned to the center of the room. There standing alone, was a small figure of a young girl. She was looking at the leader and from her stand; it looks like she's scared on what would happen.

The leader finally spoke, his voice calm yet commanding; "So this is her. Who would've thought?"

"What's your judgment, sir?" One of the members spoke. From what it sounded like, the voice was high pitched. A female.

"This child…" he motioned his hands, pointing at the girl in the middle; "how can someone so small and young who knows nothing of the universe cause so much trouble?"

Another member raised his voice saying; "She doesn't deserve to be here. She does not know anything! She has forgotten what it is like! She has no right to be here!"

"She might be with the enemy!" someone else shouted.

Another one followed his companions' example. "She doesn't belong here!" then followed by other shouts.

"Maybe you're the ones who have forgotten." The woman said. "You have forgotten that this event happened a long time ago. You have forgotten that we all experienced this event. All of us. One by one."

The woman continued; "You have forgotten too that we are all chosen here by birth. Our ancestors made sure of that."

"But she might be a traitor!" another accusing member shouted.

"Really…" the woman sighed. "Can someone as young and innocent as her be a traitor?"

She approached the girl and stood behind her. She gently placed her hands on her shoulders.

"Give her a chance to speak." The woman said in defense "Maybe she's not guilty and she might know something."

"C'mon. Tell them what you know." She whispered in the child's ear. The younger one hesitated before straightening up and looking straight at the leader.

"…I…I did nothing wrong." She said in a soft voice. "I don't…know who did it or how it happened."

The person on the head leader's left spoke after a long silence; "She's telling the truth."

There was murmur coming from the adults. The children stood silent. None of them showed unwavering signs in this hearing.

"You heard him." The defending woman said "She did nothing wrong. She's not guilty."

"But that does not clear the truth that she has forgotten." The man continued.

The higher authority nodded. "Do you remember?" this question was addressed to the child.

She gripped the hand of the one who is defending her. She looks down and shook her head.

"So it is true." The leader said. "The impossible has been made possible."

The young boy beside him tugged on the older man's sleeve. The older man bent down and the young boy whispered in his ear. His face changed from shock to serious.

He straightened up and eyed all of them again.

"All of you are dismissed." He spoke in a loud voice. There was a clamor before all of the adults in the room left except for the woman, and three older members and the two children.

The leader's eyes rested on the woman and said to her; "You know what to do."

The woman nodded. She held the girl's hand into hers and led them both out of the room, opposite of the exit where the other members have left.

"_The impossible has been made possible_." The leader quoted again; "Who would've thought it was this soon?"

"What do you mean sir?" one of the remaining members asked.

"It's coming." The leader asked in a deep voice. "We, the Council, have waited for two years."

"_Coming_?" the man on his left asked. The other members did not know what their leader is saying.

"Will it come very soon, my lord?" another one asked. The leader shook his head

"It would take time for the darkness to emerge." He said "But we can't take any chances. We are defenseless against the deepest of darkness until the Chosen One comes."

"The Chosen One? The one chosen by the _Keyblade_?"

At the sound of the word, 'Keyblade', the atmosphere in the room suddenly got heavier.

"Yes." The leader replied. "The one chosen to wield the Keyblade."

"The Keyblade is a powerful weapon that has been used for as long as time can remember. Who would wield this cursed blade?" the left-man asked.

* * *

A young girl with brown hair looked fast asleep before her eyes fluttered open, showing clear blue irises. She slowly sat up in a dazed state, trying to remember something but nothing seems to be coming.

She furiously shook her head, covered her ears with her small hands and squeezed her eyes shut. She brought her knees closer to her chest and stayed huddled in that position, trying to remember something. But still nothing came.

Only a name.

"Hey, are you okay?"

She opened her eyes and slowly looked up.

A boy with silver hair and aquamarine eyes was beside her. He looked a year older than her. Behind him were two others her age. One was a boy with spikey brown hair and blue eyes and another was a girl with short red hair and blue-violet eyes.

"Are you okay?" the boy asked once again. "Do you need help?"

The brunette girl stared at them for awhile before she removed her hands on her ears.

"…No, its okay." The girl said in a quiet tone. "I'm alright."

"Really?" the brunette boy said. "That's good. When you didn't talk at first, I thought you were mute!"

"She's not mute, Sora! She's just shy." The redhead said.

"Are you from another world?"

"Another world?" the girl looked at the boy before pausing to think. After a while, she replied.

"I don't know."

"You don't know?" the three chimed together. The girl shook her head.

"I don't know. I don't remember."

"Maybe you'll remember after a few days." The redhead said.

"I hope so."

Then, he stood up and lent her a hand.

"We'll help you remember. Maybe some of the people back in the islands know you." He said. She looked at him again before she took his hand and slowly stood up with his help. A bit wobbly but she regained balance after a while.

"WAIT!" "What is it now?"

"How are we going to introduce her back in the islands if we don't know her name?" the brunette boy said.

"He's got a point." The girl said.

"Do you at least remember your name?" the redhead girl said.

"I think so."

They waited for a while before the girl spoke again.

"Mizuki." She said. "I think my name's Mizuki."

"Mizuki huh? That's a pretty name." the other girl smiled. "My name's Kairi. I hope we'll get to be good friends."

"Riku." The boy said. "And welcome to Destiny Islands."

"And I'm Sora!" the brunette said. "You're going to like it here. I know it!"

Mizuki smiled back at them. She knows she's going to like it here and she knows she's in good hands.

She just didn't know that an adventure was just around the corner.

* * *

_**It's not much but it's a start.**_

_**I'm very open to comments and suggestions. So if you want to message me, you can either PM me or drop a review.**_


	2. Destiny Islands

**Hello everyone. I'm not sure if there are people who reads this. It's been a long time since I updated and I've been rewriting this story. Now, the official chapter 2 is out. I know its not much yet but I hope you give this story a chance.**

**One of the reasons why I updated this is because of friends of mine. We love Kingdom Hearts and they are somewhat the first people I told about my idea for this story. Consider this as an early Christmas present guys.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts or the Final Fantasy Series.**

* * *

**Suffocated Hearts**

**Chapter 2**

**Destiny Islands**

* * *

"So you really are going to leave the islands."

"Well, aren't you curious on what's beyond these islands? Why were even here on the first place?"

"I am but…"

"But what, Mizuki?"

"I never really thought that you guys were serious on leaving."

The Destiny Islands Trio looked at each other before they looked her. She was staring intently on the wooden raft, her dark blue eyes not at them.

"You could come with us, Mizuki." Sora said to their other brown haired friend.

"Our offer still stands, you know." Riku said to her. Kairi looked at the other girl with pleading eyes.

Mizuki looked at the three of them and smiled, "Thanks but no thanks. I'd rather stay here on the islands."

She paused for awhile before she continued, "Besides, who would greet you guys when you finally come back?"

* * *

'_Seven years has passed. Never thought it would be that long since I arrived on the islands. Now, the others are planning to leave…'_

She was sitting on the bent paopu tree, concentrating on whatever she is writing on a small leather-bound notebook. Due to this, she did not notice a certain silverette approached and sat beside her. Soon enough, when the notebook was snatched from her is when she noticed his presence.

"So this is Mizuki's famous diary."

Riku examined the notebook, not missing the twitch from Mizuki's eye.

"What do you mean famous?" she asked, taking back her notebook from him.

"A certain brunette told me he found and read your diary." Riku replied.

"Am I really that annoying?"

Another eye twitch came from her. He smirked but at this point, she decided to ignore him.

Neither of them spoke They left each other at their own thoughts.

'_Still, this makes me wonder…'_

"It would have been nice if you came with us."

Mizuki looked up and turned to Riku who was staring at the vast sea.

"What?"

"We could have gone off, finding your memories. Who knows, maybe you and Kairi came from the same world."

"I don't know, Riku…"Mizuki said after a moment of silence, her eyes downcast.

The silverette sighed before he reached out his hand to ruffle her brown hair.

"Think about it, alright?"

She looked up to find him get off the tree and watch him walk away. When he was gone, she looked down and glared at the open page of the notebook.

'_Did I make the right choice?'_

* * *

It was when the sun started to set is when the three decided to join their other friend by the paopu fruit tree.

It was an old routine, watching the sunset before returning to the main islands.

To Mizuki, this will probably be the last sunset they'll spend together for a long time.

They talked about the raft and the other worlds. She listened to them and tried to give them pieces of advice.

"_Star-shaped fruit…unbreakable…nothing…drive you apart…a way back to each other.''_

She blinked. _'What was that? Was that a memory? Who owned that voice? It was…familiar.'_

'_But…why now?'_

* * *

It was finally time to leave for home. They all headed back towards their boats.

"Sora, Mizuki." Riku called both of them.

They both turned around to find something yellow being thrown at them.

"A paopu fruit?" Sora asked to the older boy when he looked at the yellow star-shaped fruit.

"If two people share one, their destinies become intertwined. They'll remain a part of each other's lives no matter what." Riku said as he walked ahead.

"C'mon. I know you want to try it." He added.

"What are you talking…?" Sora started to say. He glanced at the red haired girl walking ahead of them before a small shade of pink crept up his cheeks.

Riku laughed as he watched his best friend. Sora tossed the fruit away and ran to catch up with his silver-haired friend. He stopped in mid-run when he noticed that his other friend wasn't following.

"Hey, Mizuki!" the brunette called out, "Hurry up!

Mizuki looked at the yellow fruit before throwing it aside and started to run to catch up with them.

'_Star-shaped fruit…paopu fruit…could this be the fruit that voice was talking about?' _she thought while she continued to run.

* * *

As the day ended in theirs, another day was just beginning in another…

Donald Duck walked around the halls in Disney Castle. He walked towards the throne room of King Mickey. He stood in front of the big purple doors and knocked three times then entered the room.

"Good morning, you're Majesty!" Donald greeted as he walked towards a golden throne. "It's nice to see you this morn—WHAT!"

As he reached halfway, he noticed that the throne was empty. Pluto, the King's dog, came out behind the throne with a letter in his mouth. It came from the King seeing that it is bearing the King's seal.

Donald grabbed the letter and read it. His eyes blink multiple times when realization hits. He yelled and started to freak out. He ran out of the throne room ran towards the courtyard. There he found Goofy, who was sleeping peacefully.

Donald rapidly approached him shouting; "Wake up, Goofy, wake up! This is serious!"

But Goofy still continued to sleep. Donald, now losing his patience, used magic by using thunder to wake him up. Goofy yelped in surprised but now he is completely awake. He sat up rubbing his eyes.

"Hey there, Donald. G'morning." He said when he spotted his friend.

"We've got a problem, Goofy!" Donald said, flailing his arms around. "But don't tell anyone…"

"Queen Minnie?"

Donald shook his head "Not even the queen."

"…Daisy?"

"NO! It's top secret!"

"G'morning ladies!"

Donald stiffened before he turned around and saw Queen Minnie and Daisy looking at them. Daisy put her hands on her hips while Queen Minnie tilted her head. Donald laughed nervously.

This is going to be a long explanation…

* * *

**I'll end this chapter here. I'll describe Mizuki's outfit in the next chapter. Thank you for giving this a shot even though its short. The plot line I'm planning is still bound to happen in the future. Hope you'll stay to find out. 'Till next time!**

**Reviews and constructive criticism are highly welcomed. Flames are not.**


	3. The Storm

**A/N: Trying to find a beta reader. Anyone willing? **

**Please enjoy the story!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts.**

* * *

**Suffocated Hearts**

**Chapter 3**

**The Storm**

* * *

Mizuki looked her reflection to check if everything is alright. She combed her brown hair away from her dark blue eyes with her hand. She wore a short sleeve blue jacket over a black T-shirt, a red checkered skirt over black shorts, white socks, black canvas shoes and green wristbands.

Her outfit didn't bother her. It was comfortable to her. Though, she did remember her aunt joking that she looked like an adventurer or a monster hunter before ruffling her hair.

"_Don't worry. There are no monsters here for you to catch." _She said to her that day.

For seven years in living on the islands, it was her aunt that gave the young brunette a life. She adopted Mizuki a month after her arrival, saying that she knows what the young girl has been through. Instead of calling her mother, the woman specifically said to call her aunt without saying her reason.

She was grateful to the young woman. Her aunt supported for the both of them alone. Mizuki tried her best to not be a burden. But if she suddenly left without a word...

"What am I supposed to do?" she whispered to no one but herself.

She looked at the wall clock present in the room. It was two hours before noon. That meant she was late in meeting up on the smaller islands. She headed towards the door but something caught her eye.

It was sitting on her bedside table. She picked it up and took a closer look at it. It was a golden token of some sort. It took a shape of a heart with three spikes at the end.

She doesn't remember owning something like this but it was fascinating. There was nothing like this in the islands.

Mizuki puts the token in her jacket's pocket. She'll just ask her aunt about it during dinner.

* * *

The fourteen year old brunette looked at the other two with her hands crossed over her chest. Riku and Sora were arguing again. This time they were arguing on what they should name their raft and who gets to name it.

"No. I should be the one to name it seeing that I'm the one who did most of the work. The raft should be called Highwind!" Riku stated

"You all had your fair share in building the raft." Mizuki said.

"I agree with Mizuki. I should get to name the raft too! It should be named…um…Excalibur!" Sora quickly said.

"No. It should be Highwind!"

"No. Excalibur!"

"Highwind!"

"Excalibur!"

"No! Highwind!"

"No! Excalibur!"

Mizuki drew a hand over her hair. This is almost getting out of hand. It's mostly Kairi who handles them when they are fighting. She needs to do something.

"How about you guys…compete for it? ...In a race?" she said slowly.

Sora and Riku looked at her for a while making Mizuki feel uncomfortable.

"Alright. One race." Riku said with a nod. "But just one."

"Let's do it!" Sora shouted, pumping his fist in the air.

"You guys at it again?" Kairi asked from the platform above. "All right, I'll be the judge."

Mizuki let out a sigh of relief. She was starting to relax as she watched the two warm-up.

The two were starting to make bets, loud enough for Mizuki who was behind them to hear.

Sora opened his mouth to speak "So, if I win, I'm captain and if you win-"

"I get to share a paopu with Kairi."

This made both Sora and Mizuki lose balance due to what Riku said.

"What?" Sora said while Mizuki remained silent, pretending not to hear anything.

"Deal? The winner gets to share a paopu with Kairi." Riku continued.

"But-wait a minute." Sora started to protest.

But he was cut off since the race was about to start.

"Alright, on my count!" Kairi said.

Mizuki didn't pay much attention to the race. She was more paying attention on what was going on her head.

'_Of course, they'll be competing over Kairi again. Since when did they not?' _she thought. Ever since childhood, she noticed that those two have been competing over the red head, trying to get her attention.

Yet, she felt a twinge in her heart.

She shook her head. "It's probably nothing."

"Did you say something Mizuki?" the brunette jumped in surprise to see Kairi beside her. The race was still on.

"Nothing's wrong Kairi." Mizuki said, giving her whole attention back on the race. "Look! I think Sora is winning!"

Their attention went back to the race. But it wasn't before long that Mizuki left without a word.

* * *

_Fear wrapped around the small body as the child fell on the ground. Strong winds shook the place with metal rings flying into the sky towards something of a dark orb._

_The child tried to stand up from the ground only to trip again by something. The child shook it off and stood up before running away._

_But as the child ran, something dark was forming from the ground._

_A name was shouted at the strong winds and the child looked up before crying out loud and running towards that voice._

_Then light surrounded all._

* * *

'_They'll be leaving tomorrow.'_ Mizuki thought to herself. She was in her bedroom, sitting on her bed. She tossed the golden token in the air before catching it.

"I got to at least say good-bye to them tomorrow. I left earlier than expected awhile ago. It is kind of rude to leave out of short notice…"

She left for the main islands just before sunset, claiming that she was tired. As soon as she got home, she went to her bedroom and fell asleep.

Yet she was woken up by a dream.

'_Was it another memory?'_ Mizuki thought after catching the token and letting her head rest on the pillow. She looked at the alarm clock on her bedside table. It was still a bit early, nearing evening. Her aunt would come home late and dinner would come afterwards.

'_I guess another nap wouldn't hurt.'_ she thought before closing her eyes, drifting to sleep once again.

* * *

Night came and clouds loomed over the islands. Not for long, thunder and lightning erupted, waking up the brunette. She peered over her open bedroom window, rubbing her eyes. The tides of the ocean rose higher and higher.

"A storm? And not a small one at that." Mizuki said when her mind finally cleared.

'_With a storm coming up, they'll surely check on the raft.'_ Mizuki thought, thinking of her friends' hard work.

Worry and anxiety crept up unto her. Surely, they'll check up on the raft but with this storm coming, they might get hurt.

"I have to make sure they're alright." She got off the bed, quickly tied her shoes on and bolted to the door only to find it locked.

She tried to twist the door knob but to no success.

"Locked from the outside." She said out loud. No one was home yet so who was stopping her from leaving? _'That's not going to stop me though.'_

Stepping away from the door, Mizuki turned around and faced the open window. It was big enough for her to slip right through. Unfortunately, her room was on the second floor though there is a tree and a couple of bushes just outside.

'_I am an idiot.'_ She thought _'Let's just hope those bushes will catch me.'_

She ran towards the window and jumped. The branches and bushes cushioned her fall.

Removing all the twigs and leaves from her body, she took a sideward glance at her home for seven years before sprinting towards the smaller islands.

The feeling of not returning for a long time still lingered within her.

* * *

As soon as she arrived, three boats were already tied to the port, boats she recognized well.

"Sora's, Riku's and Kairi's boats; they're all here!" She looked around to see someone familiar but found no one. The winds grew stronger, removing trees from its roots. Mizuki ducked from the flying debris, her eyes following it to a dark orb that was swallowing everything that was uprooted from the ground.

She swore her breathing stopped for a second and soon afterwards, she heard a loud ringing from her ears, giving her a headache. This was just like the dream she had earlier, even if it was slipping away. When the ringing slightly subsided, she got off the boat and tied it to the port.

"I knew this was going to be dangerous. I have to find them fast."

She started to run away from the port. But after every step she took, something dark slowly rose up from the ground; a dark being with yellow eyes.

She ran and ran, tiring her legs. Everything was dark and nothing could be seen. She saw no one familiar until…

"OW!"

"Sora?" Mizuki asked in the dark, rubbing her head. The voice she just heard, other than her own, was familiar.

"Mizuki?" Yep. It was Sora. "What are you doing here?"

"I was finding you and the others." She replied, "I figured that you guys are going to check on the raft and I wanted to make sure you're all alright."

The spikey haired brunette smiled at his friend. "Speaking of the others, have you seen Riku or Kairi?"

She shook her head. "I haven't but I've seen their boats. They haven't left the islands."

"Then let's look for them together." Sora said.

"Right, together." Mizuki nodded before they both ran off.

* * *

And they ran, away from the small monsters appearing from the ground.

Sora looked around. Those monsters are just coming out of nowhere. As he looked around, his eyes found the paopu tree.

"Over there!" Sora pointed out, startling his friend who was trailing right behind him. "Riku!"

"What?" Mizuki looked to where he was pointing at. Next to the paopu tree was indeed Riku but with his back turned against them. There was no redhead in sight.

"But where's Kairi?" Mizuki asked. Yet no one heard her. Sora was already running ahead towards Riku. Her eyebrows knitted together.

'_What's going on? Where did this storm come from?'_

She ran after her friend. She was getting closer towards them.

'_Why are there no monsters by the paopu tree?'_

But the last of her thoughts were drowned when she heard a blood-splitting shriek.

* * *

"Where's Kairi? I thought she was with you!"

"The door has opened."

Sora stared at his friend and can only say this, "What?"

Riku turned around to look at Sora and Mizuki, who finally catches up to them.

"The door has opened! Now, we can go to the outside world."

"What are you talking about?" Sora continued to ask "We've got to find Kairi."

"Kairi's coming with us!" Riku said impatiently. The brunette just stared back in disbelief.

Riku looked up to the sky, to the dark orb before saying. "Once we step through, we might not be able to come back. We may never see our parents again. There's no turning back. But this may be our only chance. We can't let fear stop us"

"I'm not afraid of the darkness!" the silverette said with vigor. He looked back at the two brunettes before stretching out his hand towards them.

"Riku…" Sora could only say while Mizuki looked down at the ground.

In a blink of an eye, something dark appeared beneath Riku's feet. This startled Sora and start reaching out towards his friend but Riku didn't seem to mind it at all. Tendrils started to rise from it as the spot grew and grabbed hold of them both.

He tried reaching out to his best friend. The ground started to shake, making it harder to reach him. Before he knew it, they were both completely swallowed up by what appeared on the ground. Everything was dark. He couldn't see and suddenly it was getting hard to breathe.

Sora thought it was completely over before he saw a speck of light that grew and grew until it flashed. When Sora opened his eyes, he was back in the dark islands with something heavy on his hands. As he looked at it, it looked like a big key.

'_Keyblade' _a voice echoed in Sora's mind _'Keyblade'_

Riku wasn't there anymore but as he looked at his side, Mizuki was there standing.

"Mizuki?" Sora called out to get his friend's attention but no response came from her.

And then, something clawed him from behind. He winced at the pain before turning around to the yellow-eyed monsters baring their claws at them. They attacked again but Sora was ready. He used the key on his hand to attack. The monster disappeared after that into tendrils floating towards the sky.

The black creatures continued coming towards after them. Sora continued to attack and slash them until everything was clear, at least for now.

"Mizuki! Are you okay?" Sora said to the other brunette. She said nothing to him. Her whole body was trembling and shaking as she let out heavy breaths.

Sora went closer to her. He grabbed on to her shoulder and tried to shake her awake.

"Mizuki? Come on! Say something." Sora said. She was still shivering and trembling as if she's encountering a nightmare.

"_The first to stay is the last to fall." _She said under her breath but Sora heard it quite clear.

"What did you say? The first to…? Mizuki!" Sora called out after she quickly removed herself from her grasp and ran away from and towards a cave. It wasn't just a cave to Sora though. To him, it was the secret place. A place where part of his childhood was spent. A place Mizuki didn't know of.

* * *

He followed her into the narrow passageway until he reached the inside. How does Mizuki know this place anyways?

Once inside, he found his friend…and his friend.

"Kairi!" Sora called out to her. She was standing right beside Mizuki. The red haired girl turned around slowly. She seemed paler, Sora noted.

At this moment, the girl beside Kairi stretched out her right hand. She seems to be pointing at the door found inside the cave. The air shimmered around her as Mizuki seemed to pulling something out of thin air. Sora took a step back to what happened next. Mizuki has it too. But why?

In her hand was the same heavy thing in Sora's hand. It's a big key yet different in design. It has a circular yet jagged gray guard with a white rod as a handle. The guard is wrapped around in gold heavy link chains. The shaft is long and white and the base of the shaft shows two diamond shaped bumps while the teeth of the key are white diamond shaped spikes connected by a white web structure and connected to the shaft by golden chains.

Sora looked at the two, confused. What's going on?

"Sora." Kairi called out faintly. She reached out towards him but the door opened, leaving out strong winds. It both knocked Sora and Kairi off the ground but not Mizuki.

It happened to quickly for Sora. One moment, he saw Kairi coming towards him. He tried to catch her but to no avail.

The next moment, he found himself being blown out of that cave.

* * *

**A/N: Is it just me or does it seems that some of the parts have been dragged? I'm really sorry about that but please tell me what you think of the chapter by reviewing. Reviews are my food and inspiration for writing! Criticism is highly welcomed. Flames are not.**

**Please review~!**


	4. Hollow Bastion

**...kroo...**

* * *

**Suffocated Hearts**

**Chapter 4**

**Lost**

* * *

It was bright, too bright. She used her left hand to block it out. Mizuki blinked a few times before her eyes adjusted to the light.

Her muscles ached, like she just ran a marathon. She felt groggy and her throat felt like sawdust. Mizuki slowly sat up and let herself lean on the wall behind her.

From what she saw around her, she was clearly not in her home world. The brunette didn't smell the saltwater nor did she hear the crashing of the waves. Instead, she smelled the earth and the rushing of water. She was sitting near the entrance of a small cave where light would enter through small openings.

Mizuki groaned and let her head rest on her left palm. _'What happened?'_ she asked herself _'How did I end up here? Is everyone alright?'_

She tried to remember everything that happened that night. She remembered it clearly but after that scream…it became a blur.

Those screams frightened her to the bone. It belonged to many, not to her and the fellow brunette that was with her. She didn't understand what the voices were telling her. Her vision turned red and felt like she didn't have control. The only thing she remembered after those voices was a flash of white and gold.

Mizuki closed her eyes. She started to feel extremely sick.

'_Please be a dream'_ she thought to herself _'This is all just a bad dream. Once I open my eyes, I'll be back in my room.'_

But alas, this was no dream for in her hand was the said flash of white and gold. A big white and gold key.

Mizuki let out a frustrated cry before she accidentally banged her head on the wall.

* * *

Thinking that sulking would be a complete waste of time, Mizuki started to look around for her friends. During the search, the Key…sword…thing (she wasn't sure on how or what to call it), disappeared from her hand.

'_They're probably here. I mean, they could be together. I'm here in this world so they could be in this world too…right?_'

She looked at the crossroads in front of her before sighing and scratching her head in confusion.

'_I'm lost. Completely lost._'

On the right, she saw nothing but rocks jagged in different forms. On the left path, she saw a crumbled wall. Beyond that, she saw red tile roofs and heard the clanking of metal.

'_Houses…_' she thought '_There might be people who are willing to help me._'

She took the path on the left. She started to walk slowly before quickening her pace. She looked behind her to check if someone was there.

It was that feeling again, that feeling of being watched.

* * *

As she jumped over that low crumbling wall, Mizuki realized that she wasn't supposed to be here.

Other than the sound of metal, everything was silent. There was no sound of slamming doors, or the chatter of people. Things you'd hear in a place surrounded by people.

She went to one of the nearby houses; its door was wide open. She stood by the doorway, her blue eyes scanning the inside. The place looked like it hasn't been touched or even been entered for a long time. Dust scattered everywhere and there were chairs lying on the floor. She heard the creaking of wood beneath her as she tried to take a step forward.

"What happened here?" she said to the air. She looked at one of the picture frames hanging on the wall. There, a family of three was smiling, a girl on her father's shoulders and a mother beside them. They all looked happy, frozen in the picture.

'_Where are these people now?_' Mizuki thought as she continued to look at the picture, her face reflecting on the glass.

Her ears perked up. She looked around her frantically.

"…_Mommy…Daddy…_" she felt her breath hitch up. "_Where are you?_"

Something shimmered in the air in front of her. White and gold, it was the Key again. Mizuki grabbed hold of the handle as if it would keep her safe.

"…_Mommy…" _the voice was getting closer now. The brunette took a step back, back towards the door. As she took the step, a loud creak came from beneath that can surely be heard from nearby.

Hurried light steps came and peering from the entrance corridor were gold beady eyes. Mizuki's eyes widened.

It was the same one or at least it looked it looked the same the creature that attacked her home.

"No…"

"…_Mommy…Daddy…?"_

"No…stay away." The key placed in front of her to defend, she tried to take another step back.

"…_Where are you?"_ It raised its claws.

"GET AWAY FROM ME!" Raising the armed hand, she slashed the small form in front of her.

Blue staring at gold, Mizuki swore she saw a small smile.

"_Thank you." _Soon, wisps of darkness took its place and rose towards the ceiling.

* * *

To say that encounter was the last, it would be a lie.

As soon as she hurriedly left that house, the black creatures started to pop up from the ground. She was able to get a head start for they took time standing up.

She felt herself weaken as more continued to pop up. She threw a glance and her face paled as she saw how many of those little monsters were after her.

'_Please._' Mizuki thought to herself '_Just leave me alone._'

One scratched her skin and yet it gave her unbelievable pain. Mizuki winced and did her best not to scream. It felt like it was burning her skin alive.

She raised her weapon against it. Soon enough, the dark creature turned into wisps. Yet this gave the opportunity for the others to attack her.

"Just leave me alone!"

At that very moment, the small creatures froze before turning into dark wisps. Mizuki blinked. What just happened?

She looked at the ground in where the monsters just stood. She saw something gleaming on the ground. The girl kneeled down for a closer inspection. A bullet, a gleaming silver bullet.

'_But who shot them?_' She stood up, leaving the bullet where it was, and scanned the area. She saw no one nearby.

"Mizuki!" she slightly jumped at the sound of her name. She knew that voice…

She was suddenly pulled into a tight embrace before the person let's go of her and ruffles her hair.

"Riku…"

"It's a good thing I found you." Riku said to the brunette. "I knew she lying to me about you guys."

Mizuki raised an eyebrow, tilting her head to the side. "She?"

The silverette shook his head. "Not now. We have to find the others. They're probably around here somewhere."

"…Probably…" the girl said in a quiet voice. They Key in her hand slowly disappeared, slowly fading.

There was no threat…for now.

"Riku, where are we?" Mizuki asked

"We're in a world named Hallow Bastion." Riku replied. "This is nothing compared to our world."

"Nothing, indeed." She repeated the world's name, hoping that it would be familiar to her. "Hallow Bastion."

It was getting darker in the world they currently are. But, the old lights on the streets weren't turning on.

"C'mon," Riku said, "We should be going."

"To where?"

"Somewhere safe, I guess." Riku replied. He grabbed hold of her hand and led them away towards a majestic building that can be seen from a distance.

* * *

The woman smiled coyly as she saw them enter the castle doors. She heard the boy say something about lying and what not. But her attention was towards the girl.

"What is your name, girl?"

The girl did dare not to reply, she just stared at her with her blue eyes.

_Such familiar blue eyes._

"Well, I dare you to say your name, girl. You are going to be under my care from now on."

"…It's Mizuki." She said, yet the question in her eyes did not go unnoticed.

_What do you mean from now on?_

The woman's smile grew wider. "I am Maleficent, and this is my castle. Your friend here has asked for you to stay here."

"Now, let me lead you to your room." She said, leading them to what seems like a never-ending hallway.

They say the eyes are the mirror to the soul, to the heart. Yet, this woman can't seem to see hers. Guarded, hidden, kept away yet filled with so much curiosity. And rebellion, she can see that.

She wonders what value this heart would weigh in her plans. Would it be of importance or would it just be a burden?

_Only time would tell…_

* * *

__**Not one of my best written chapters. But I still hope you guys enjoyed.**

**Please review~ It's my food for motivation!**


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